Mavericks To Sign Josh Akognon
Former Cal State Fullerton sharpshooter Josh Akognon has accepted an invite from the Mavericks to participate in the team's training camp, according to David Pick of EuroBasket and Sportando (via Twitter). Akognon had signed with Chinese team Liaoning Jiebao Hunters, but will use his out clause to join the Mavs, says Pick.
Akognon, who graduated from Cal State Fullerton in 2009, averaged 23.9 PPG in his senior year before going undrafted. He has played primarily overseas since then, including an impressive 2011/12 season with the CBA's DongGuan New Century Leopards. In 37 games for DongGuan, the 26-year-old was a top-five scorer in the league, averaging 28.2 PPG on 51% shooting.
Akognon doesn't seem like a strong bet to make the Mavs' roster, considering the team is believed to have 15 guaranteed rosters on its books already. Another camp invite, D.J. Mbenga, has reportedly agreed to join Dallas' D-League affiliate if he doesn't make the team's NBA roster, so perhaps a similar arrangement could be in the cards for Akognon, who had a brief stint with the D-League's Canton Charge last season.
Rockets Waive Diamon Simpson
The Rockets, who at one point this offseason were carrying the maximum 20 players, continue to move toward paring down their roster to 15. The team has officially waived Diamon Simpson, according to a press release. The move occurred earlier in September, so Simpson has since cleared waivers and become an unrestricted free agent.
Simpson, who turned 25 this month, was signed by the Rockets near the end of the 2011/12 season to a contract that included a non-guaranteed year in 2012/13. Assuming there was no partial guarantee on Simpson's deal, the Rockets should be able to clear his minimum-salary contract from their books without taking a cap hit.
Although the Rockets released Simpson, the team also signed Scott Machado to a partially-guaranteed deal at the same time, so the team's roster count still stands at 19. By October 31st, Houston will either need to make four more cuts or make trades to reduce the roster to 15 players.
Mickael Pietrus Drawing Heavy Interest
With Mickael Pietrus "healthy for the first time in two years," according to a source that spoke to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, the veteran wing is drawing significant interest from a handful of teams. Haynes reports that three NBA clubs have displayed major interest in Pietrus, and that two of those teams appear "very motivated" to complete a deal. Pietrus also has a viable option overseas that includes an NBA opt-out, says Haynes.
"He's considering all of his options," Haynes' source said of Pietrus. "But he prefers to play in the NBA and he's feeling ten times better than last season."
Pietrus, 30, underwent a knee procedure in Boston this summer, a do-over on an operation he had performed on the knee a year ago. According to Haynes, Pietrus was experiencing pain and discomfort most of 2011/12 with the Celtics, but is now working out pain-free.
A report last week suggested that Pietrus' camp felt like he was getting close to signing a new contract, so perhaps that story prompted a couple more teams to jump into the mix. Wherever Pietrus ends up, it looks like he'll ink a new deal before training camps get underway.
Southeast Notes: Magic, Hawks, Williams, Heat
Here’s a look at the latest out of the Southeast Division..
- The Magic are a prime candidate to experience a significant slide in 2012/13, writes Sam Amico of FOXSportsOhio.com. Newly-acquired players Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, Josh McRoberts, Christian Eyenga and rookie Moe Harkless will make up most of the team’s core and could result in Orlando finishing dead-last in the league. Amico also sees the Hawks taking a significant step back as they enter a quasi-rebuilding phase, though he believes that they will be better for it in the long run.
- Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (via Twitter) believes that the recently-waived Jordan Williams will not be out of work for long. I’m inclined to agree as the University of Maryland demonstrated toughness and solid rebounding ability in his limited minutes for the Nets last season. Williams received a buyout from Atlanta on his modest $762K salary for 2012/13.
- Despite the talk of Dexter Pittman‘s spot with the Heat being in jeopardy this season, one teammate told Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (via Twitter) that he appears to be in better shape than ever before. Earlier today, the Heat officially signed fellow center Josh Harrellson to bring the club’s roster to 18 players.
Hawks Waive Jordan Williams
8:26pm: Atlanta negotiated a buyout of Williams' deal as his $762K salary for the upcoming season was guaranteed, tweets Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. However, his $884K salary for 2013/14 was non-guaranteed.
6:38pm: The Hawks announced that they have waived forward Jordan Williams. Atlanta acquired Williams from the Nets as a part of the Joe Johnson trade earlier this summer.
The 6'10" Maryland grad saw 14.8 minutes per game for the Nets in his rookie season, averaging 4.6 PPG and 3.6 RPG. Williams was set to earn $762K this season and $884K in 2013/14.
New Jersey tabbed Williams with the 46th overall pick in the 2011 draft but the rookie was inches away from playing overseas instead. Williams agreed to a deal with Poland's Zastal Zielona Góra during the lockout but was able to get out of his commitment once the labor dispute was settled.
Blazers Sign Adam Morrison
The Blazers have signed Adam Morrison to a one-year, make-good deal, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Sam Amick of SI.com (via Twitter). The camp invitation was first reported by Joe Freeman of the Oregonian (via Twitter).
The former third-overall pick last appeared in the Association with the Lakers in 2009/10 where he saw 7.8 minutes of action per contest in 31 games. Morrison hooked on with the Nets' summer league team a few months back and made a strong impression on the club, but ultimately could not secure a deal. The former Gonzaga standout then finished out the 2012 summer league period with the Clippers where he averaged 20 PPG and 5 RPG across five games.
Aldridge On Harden, Thunder, Seattle, Williams
In today's column, David Aldridge of NBA.com runs down the particulars of one of the more fascinating off-the-court battles the league has encountered in its history. The Silnas brothers, the former owners of the Spirit of St. Louis, rejected a $3MM flat buyout offer in 1976 from the four ABA teams that got to make the leap to the Association. Instead, they opted for a one-seventh share of the TV money earned by the Nets, Spurs, Pacers, and Nuggets. While the sliver of the pie wasn't worth much 26 years ago, it has now given the Silnas brothers a whopping $250MM+ with no end in sight. Now, the brothers are set for battle with the league as they also demand a cut of international TV money, League Pass, and other broadcast revenue streams. While a good chunk of NBA teams struggle to get in the black, the former Spirit of St. Louis owners have managed to rake in major money for more than a quarter-century. Here's more from Aldridge..
- The Thunder have carved out a tremendously strong and loyal fan base in Oklahoma City, but their financial limitations will make it difficult to keep James Harden long-term. As a small-market club, they do not have a local television on the same scale as a team like the Lakers, who are receiving roughly $200MM more per year under their contract. OKC is also the second-smallest city in the US with a professional team, meaning that they cannot milk their season ticket holders for more money or press corporate sponsors for larger suite and signage deals. However, Aldridge notes that the Thunder can look to the Spurs as inspiration – R.C. Buford & Co. have faced similar circumstances but managed to build a perennial contender by making sacrifices along the way.
- According to a source with knowledge of the negotiations between investor Chris Hansen and the city of Seattle, the NBA has informally indicated that if he is successful in buying a team and moving it to Seattle, the league could live with the team playing temporarily at Key Arena until a new facility is ready. Last week, a major stumbling block was removed in Hansen's effort to get Seattle to approve a new arena for an NBA team and final approval would appear to be a formality.
- Deron Williams says that he opted to re-sign with the Nets in part because things finally appear to be stable for the franchise from top to bottom. After ten years of limbo in New Jersey, the Nets finally ironed things out in Brooklyn and got the Barclays Center ready for the 2012/13 season. The Nets also appear to have stability on the court with a strong core group in place.
Lakers Notes: World Peace, 2013/14 Payroll
Metta World Peace is making headlines again, following an appearance on ESPN Radio in Los Angeles (link via Sports Radio Interviews). World Peace told Max and Marcellus that the Lakers were "definitely" aiming to beat the Bulls' record for winning percentage in a season, and want to finish 73-9 this year. While I'm not sure the rest of the Lakers would share the forward's optimism about the team's regular-season record, Los Angeles looks to be one of the teams to beat heading into the 2012/13 season. Here are a few more quotes from the man formerly known as Ron Artest, along with the rest of today's Lakers notes:
- World Peace on what pieces he feels the Lakers are missing: "Nothing. We feel great. I saw [Antawn] Jamison today and people forget that he is one of the best offensive rebounders in the game… He has the best touch out of all the big men in the game. So you figure a guy like that and then we have some great players off the bench, so we’re confident. I trust in myself and I trust in my teammates most importantly."
- World Peace also said he feels like he's in "really good" shape, particularly compared to where he was at the beginning of last season.
- According to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, if the Lakers keep their roster intact and re-sign Dwight Howard, they could end up paying around $200MM in 2013/14, between player salaries and luxury-tax penalties.
- If the skyrocketing cost of the roster is a concern, GM Mitch Kupchak isn't worried about it yet, as he told Bolch: "My feeling is that we'll continue to pursue the top players in the league. There will always be an emphasis on having the franchise be able to survive and prosper."
Odds & Ends: Bucks, Thabeet, Redd
A few Monday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Marquis Daniels, Rasual Butler, and Rodney Carney were among the free agents in attendance at a workout hosted by the Bucks, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- Hasheem Thabeet spoke to John Rohde of the Oklahoman about the opportunity he has with the Thunder this season to earn playing time and reach his potential.
- Gary Dzen of the Boston Globe takes a look at Dionte Christmas, who he believes has a good chance to make the Celtics' roster with a strong training camp.
- Despite rumblings that the Grizzlies might be eyeing Michael Redd, Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal says Memphis hasn't expressed any interest in the veteran two guard.
- Assistant coaches Lloyd Pierce and Bob Thornton have verbally agreed to one-year deals with the Grizzlies for the coming season, tweets Tillery.
- Michael Scotto of RealGM.com spoke to Reggie Williams, who is entering a contract year with the Bobcats, about Williams' improbable path to the NBA.
Heat Sign Josh Harrellson
The Heat have officially signed Josh Harrellson, the team announced today in a press release. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but it figures to be a minimum-salary contract that's either non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed.
Earlier today, we had heard that the Heat were finished looking at Hassan Whiteside, and were deciding whether to sign Whiteside, Harrellson, or neither player. Although Heat president Pat Riley said last month that Miami didn't need to add another big man, the team seemed to be weighing its options over the last few weeks, and appeared likely to take a flier on a player like Harrellson.
Acquired by the Rockets in the sign-and-trade deal that sent Marcus Camby to the Knicks in July, Harrellson was waived shortly thereafter, and worked out for the Heat multiple times while he sought a new contract. In his rookie season in New York, the 23-year-old big man averaged 4.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 14.6 minutes over 37 games, including four starts.
The signing brings the Heat roster to 18 players.